veterans secretary and a wounded soldier and dedicated on the field of vietnam. has come under fire for some problems beset the administration, the agency he heads. general shinseki will take part in the ceremonies, observing them at arlington national cemetery. general jack keane proudly served for 37 years. he is a retired four-star general, a fox news military analyst. general keane, thank you for being with us on this day. and again, as you reflect on all of your years of service to this country, give us your thoughts about the ceremonies about to get underway at arlington. >> first of all, memorial day is the most sacred of all our who days. we set aside day for our armed forces and our veterans but this day has a singular focus, those killed in the line of duty serving their country and it is a day that we set aside and ask

americans to remember that sacrifice. you know when i think about the soldiers involved and soldiers that i lost, that i associated with, i've always been honored, jon. the fact of the matter is they don't want to lose their life but makes them different from many americans they're willing to. the fact they're willing to give up everything they care about in life, to have a full life, be a parent, have friends, have love in their life. they put that all on the line. what do they do that for? in my view they do it for a profound sense of duty. they also do it for one another. and that is true honor. we can never take that devotion for granted. that is what today is about. not taking that level of devotion for granted. and i think all of us can relate to it as americans because these are all americans who sacrificed their lives for us. and we can help celebrate our life because of the sacrifices that they made.

jon: more from general keane in just a moment. the president will be speaking about 10 minutes from now. as the ceremonies get underway on this what general keane so rightly pointed out is the most sacred of our non-religious holidays in this country. let's listen, take in the silence and watch the ceremonies getting underway now at arlington national cemetery in virginia.

[background noises] [background noises]

jon: nothing but the chirping of birds to be heard there at arlington national cemetery. there is a large crowd assembled. but on this day, so much solemn purpose. you see there the wreath, that the president will lay at the tomb of the unknown soldier. if you have never been to arlington cemetery it's a place that think every american should visit, every hour on the hour the sentinels who are hand-picked from the army make

the changing of the guard. it is such a powerful ceremony and such a powerful symbol of the commitment this nation has to its, to its armed forces. those who have given their lives in service to this country. as you might know there was a soldier from the vietnam war buried in the tomb of the unknown soldier but thanks to dna and advances they were able to learn his identity. he was disinturned and then taken home to be buried. >> president obama has arrived and being greeted by the host for today's observance, the honorable chuck hagel, secretary of defense. general marten e. dempsey, the 18th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. mr. patrick helnan. director, arlington national

cemetery. and major general jeffrey buchanan, commanding general of the united states army military district of washington. [background noises] jon: again you see the size of the crowd that is assembled and yet despite that nobody says a word at this hallowed ground,

arlington national cemetery. formerly the estate of general robert e. lee after the civil war, the union army essentially grabbed his estate to bury the union war dead. it was at the time considered a slap, if you would at general lee and the confederates. it is now a place of, just incredible beauty and solemn purpose. again, a place that i think all americans should visit. president obama is there as we heard over the loud speaker. he has arrived. he will be walking to that wreath momentarily. to lay the wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier and then he will make some remarks. here comes the presidential party.

[background noises] jon: on the left of your screen, you see the first lady, michelle obama, vice president biden, dr. jill biden and defense

secretary chuck hagel also in the field of view as the camera pans off now to where the president will be arriving and escorted by two military officers who will direct the wreath to the tomb of the unknowns. the president will bow his head and lay that wreath. >> honor halt. present arms.

[playing of "the star-spangled banner"] ♪. ♪.

>> order right. present arms.

♪. [playing of taps]

♪. >> order right.

jon: the president will head now toward the auditorium where there will be a remarks made. we will bring those to you in just a few minutes when the president speaks of the official wreath-laying ceremony obviously over now. let's go back to our conversation with general jack keane. he proudly served for 37 years, a retired four-star general and a fox news military analyst. perhaps you could relate for our viewers, general keane, the story of your last day, officially wearing the uniform and what you chose to do there at arlington national cemetery. >> well of course i had a big retirement parade in the late afternoon on that day with

family and friend participating and certainly wonderful soldiers on the parade field but that morning i chose to go to arlington cemetery with my family to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier, you know, to pay my last respects to them in uniform and to let them know that how much they meant to me and the teammates that i lost, the sacrifices that they made. so it was a very special day for me. it still wells up with emotion just thinking about it. jon: yeah. we have not always been an all-volunteer military in this country but we certainly are today and as has been pointed out a number of times on fox, roughly 1% of our families, you know, have someone serving in uniform and yet we all enjoy the benefits of the protection that our armed forces to provide to us. it is truly a day when we should remember and thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice for

all of us. >> i totally agree. this is, that's very, very special day for those who truly given up their life and everything they wanted to do with that life. i thought it was so poignant in the movie, saving private ryan, when the ranger captain fought so hard to find ryan and keep him alive and perishing and executing his last breath, he asked "private ryan," to make the most of his life. that is what our vest rans here have done for us, given us the opportunity to make the most of your lives. jon: we think about some of the sacrifices of the past. obviously iraq and afghanistan have cost so many soldiers their lives, so many military uniforms -- veterans. i speak of soldiers sometimes and my son is a soldier and that is how i intend to think but of

course we're talking about marines, sailors, everyone, but when you look at sacrifices that took place in world war ii on the beaches of normandy for instance, what phenomenal losses our military as endured and our nation has endured. >> oh, yeah, it is quite extraordinary. we lost 600,000 troops in the civil war and 400,000 plus in world war ii and, 58,000 in vietnam. 35,000 in korea. and on that day in normandy, which we'll celebrate, it will be our 70th anniversary of that day here in about a month, on that very day we all are so familiar with from the history books and also from personal testimony of those who were there, we lost 25,000 soldiers that day, jon and how extraordinary is that? our sacrifice over these last 13 years has been very, very significant as well. we've lost 6800 soldiers in afghanistan and iraq but

fortunately the casualties by comparison are considerably less. no less for those who have suffered the loss and pain of that suffering for the rest of their life to be sure. jon: and they keep the beacon of freedom shining. general jack keane, our fox news military analyst, thank you. >> good talking to you, jon. julie: and as we remember our war dead today, we must not forget those veterans who survived, fighting for this country and those that have suffered the injustice, those injured soldiers in need of health care have endured. as the growing scandal at va intensifies more mounting pressure for va secretary eric shinseki's resignation. how president obama is handling the crisis and the political ramifications. we'll go in depth next.

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jon: as the nation remembers the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country the american legion says the growing va scandal is tarnishing this memorial day. this comes as frustration mounts over the president's handling of the crisis and amid growing calls for the resignation of veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki. for a look at all of the political fallout let's bring in bob cusack, managing editor of "the hill.." you say that the president, bob, has been somewhat detached from this whole controversy. how do you mean that? >> well, he hasn't been out front with this. he sent his aide to do the investigation. he had the chief of staff do the sunday shows about a week ago and then, white house press secretary jay carney was addressing it before the president came out. that has frustrated democrats. it has become a political issue where democrats on the campaign trail and in congress are

calling for shinseki's resignation. i think president obama's trip to be afghanistan was a very good thing to do and it looked like he was being active but until this point he has been very reactive and, this is going to be a political story for the future. i mean could be going on for weeks, if not months. it is hard to see how shinseki survives this especially because we'll find out more in the coming weeks. of course he heads the department. jon: well he is a certified war hero. he was a general in the army. he is a disabled veteran himself, having lost part of his foot in vietnam. is there, you know, some sympathy frankly for the general and situation which he find himself? >> absolutely. i think that is why some members of congress have not called for him to resign. shinseki is a four-star general. but at the same time the fact these veterans group, not all, but a couple of them, big veteran groups called for him to

step aside with him being a four-star general may being that oh so much more powerful because of that fact. this is something that democrats have been kind of shaking their head how the white house has dealt with this. this could be a change with this white house and president obama in a surprise trip to afghanistan. i think democrats were heartened by that but we'll see where it goes from here. there will be investigations, congressional investigations. there will also be oversight. one of the things that has been lost here, where has congress been on this? the white house didn't know but also congress wasn't investigating this. they didn't shed any light on this. jon: the president obviously is one who, though he is commander-in-chief does not have military service in his background. i suppose there is reluctance in the oval office to take out a man, ask for the resignation or fire a guy like shinseki, a guy who is a dedicated war hero. he has served this country for decade wearing the uniform. >> sure, that very well could be

a factor, jon but this president doesn't like to fire people. he has not, that is not been his answer to various problems. it is debatable whether firing shinseki would do anything. maybe if you fire shinseki there is less press attention and less of a solution but his divided both parties whether he should go or not but it is hard to see, i think, how he survives this. but he has been out front. repeatedly said he serves at the pleasure of the presidency. there is lot of speculation when he had that meeting last week with obama, he did offer his resignation. the white house has not confirmed that but they wouldn't talk about it. so they were not denying that question when it was posed to them. jon: bob cusack from "the hill." >> thanks, jon. julie: one man took lives of six people and altered lives of many others. many still asking why.

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>> i feel like it is absolutely miracle he didn't shoot me how close he was to me. there was no one else around. i was only person on the street. it was a friday night. i was only one. he looked directly at to me and shot at me multiple times and somehow, even though i hadn't even ran yet, he didn't hit me. julie: terror, followed by heart break and tears. the alleged killer, 22-year-old elliot roger. posting you tubes threatening what he called retribution. he sent a 137-page manifesto just before killing six people and turning gun on himself. we have a retired fbi special agent. thanks so much for talking to us. by the time elliot roger's parents were told by elliot's therapist they tried to stop him. in route they heard on radio about the mass shooting.

at that point was there anything done the police could have done to stop this. >> not at that point. there were warning signs beforehand and the police visited mr. rogers at the end of april. once the shooting started the best they could do to get over there to prevent any shooting but that is what they tried to do but he already killed himself. what preceded that was warning signs may have led to some sort of interdiction that could have prevented this from happening to begin with. julie: in fact the agency had three previous contacts with the suspect. he apparently blamed one of his roommates of stealing three canned dills. it was some petty theft. he in fact committed a civilian's arrest. he arrested one of his roommates, who was then jailed and booked and released and so there had been some mounting issues. his therapist was well aware of the fact that this 22-year-old had severe problems. and so that is where we raise

this question of privacy between a therapist and patient. elliot's divorced parents didn't get a call from the therapists about the manifesto and they you'ved the youtube video minutes before the shoeing. do you think the therapist should have done more and shared that to authorities sooner. >> there was a an i am mint threat before the night of the shooting there needs to be notification. these things escalate. no one just kills people, right out of the blue. they just don't snap off the handle and start shooting people. there is the manifesto. there are the youtube videos. those things took place. they were out there and there was time to address this, even before friday night. even for health care professionals when there is imminent threat like they need to make authorities aware of it. julie: the timing in all of this is really key, the therapist after the couple and mother was driving to the scene of her son's apartment and they heard about this mass shooting, she called the therapist and she said, what is going on?

i heard about multiple shootings? the therapist assured her on the phone, the mom, that there is no way there is connection. this can not being be her son because in the manifesto he detailed when he planned on carrying this out. it was in fact the following day he would be carrying out the shooting. the therapist who knew her son well-said he wouldn't go against his plans. he always six to his plan. is it possible because his roommates, three roommates were found dead in the home, perhaps the roommates somehow caught on to his devious and malicious plans to commit widespread murder and maybe they tried to, you know, confront the roommate and that is what resulted in all three of them being stabbed to death? >> yeah. i mean that could have been what happened. we don't know that for sure. the after-action reports may help us determine that the bottom line, there was a threat, whether it was going to be tomorrow, next week, today, minutes from now, the therapist

should have acted sooner when aware of that. privacy or not you have an imminent threat you have to let someone know that could prevent it from happening. in this case i think there was that time. julie: there were 10 different locations of crime scenes of the first one he wanted to head to a sorority house. he knocked loudly on the door. somebody heard the door knocking. thank god nobody answered because i imagine more people would have been killed. he got frustrated. he got back in his car. he shot three girls on the sidewalk, two died, one survived and that's where the shooting rampage continued. in all, there were six people killed, 10 locations. he was driving all over town. i mean this speeding bmw didn't get caught up to until the 10th location. does it seem like the police weren't in the right place at the right time? seems like a lot of time elapsed before they finally caught up to him? >> the timeline is of question here but just a matter of tiling for the officers. where are the cars? where are the officers at the time the reports are made? how close they are to the scene?

in this case they apparently weren't nearby at the time. so we can't blame the officers that. julie: of course not. >> we may want to look back to previous meetings and potential interdiction they had with this suspect to see if something could have been done at that point. julie: jeff lanza, thank you so much, retired fbi special age needn't you're welcome. julie: many more answers that need to be found in this case as it develops. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. julie: jon? jon: fox news alert, taking you back now to arlington national cemetery in virginia. we see the amphitheater there where one of the naval choral groups just finished performing. president obama will be speaking momentarily. he will be introduced as we understand by secretary of defense chuck hagel. of course time when, especially care of our veterans is very much front and center. we talked about it a moment ago with bob cusack about the scandal that is enveloping the

veterans administration. there is the secretary getting ready to introduce the president. let's go back for a moment now to general jack keane our fox news military analyst who continues to remain with us until the president's remarks. general keane, when you learned about the allegations of trouble at the veterans administration, what do you say about the way the way the military is generally a pretty well-run organization in this country. yet, when the troops leave the service and transition out into the civilian world, fall under the care about the veterans administration something needs -- seems to happen. let me interrupt myself, and take you back to arlington national cemetery for chuck hagel's remarks. >> ladies and gentlemen, i very much appreciate the opportunity to be here, to be here this morning in this place.

as we observe this very sacred, very sacred day in america, memorial day. we gather to remember those who sacrificed everything in defense of our nation. this memorial day has special meaning, given that next week, marks the 70th anniversary of the d-day landings at normandy. a day that was perhaps america's bloodiest day. in all of world war ii. a day with more than 10,000 allied casualties, such a staggering to is difficult to comprehend. as we commemorate the fallen, i think of the wisdom and the humility of our then supreme allied commodity mander, general dwight david eisenhower. not long after the first anniversary of d-day, he said any battlefield commander, no matter how accomplished or celebrated he might be would sadly face the fact that his

honors can not hide in his memories the crosses marking the resting places of the dead. they can not soothe the anguish of the widow or the orphan or whose husband, or father, or son, or daughter will not return. when general eisenhower spoke those words our nation and its military were approaching a period of great transition. victory had been achieved in europe, the war would end in the coming months. soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines were beginning to come home, get on with their lives and our country began to ask itself, where should we go from here? today as we conclude 13 years of war, the longest in our history, americans are approaching another period of transition. as always these times of change and uncertainty require exceptional leadership. they demand leaders who are strong in the face of

challenges, who are wise in the face of complexity. who are prudent in the face of uncertainty and who are as humble as the courageous individuals they lead. our commander-in-chief is one of those exceptional leaders. the president was in afghanistan less than 24 hours ago. and on behalf of all of our military men and women and their families across the world, i want to thank him and his personal commitment to those deployed in harm's way. ladies and gentlemen, i'm honored to introduce to you now, the president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you so much. please be seated. thank you, secretary hagel, for

your introduction and for your lifetime of service. from the young army sergeant in vietnam to our nation's 24th secretary of defense. vice president biden, jill, chairman dempsey, major general buchanan, patrick halnon, chaplain brainard, and to our men and women in uniform, here and around the world, to our outstanding veterans, and most of all to the gold star families here to remember the loved ones you've lost. michelle and i are humbled and honored to commemorate this memorial day with you. every year this ceremony marks another page in the life of our nation. this year in particular as we

recognize the 150th anniversary of this holy space, arlington national cemetery. 150 years ago war raged on hillsides and farmland not far from where we gather today. a nation ill-prepared for war, found itself overwhelmed with a task of burying so many of its sons. so we declared upon this hill a final resting place for those willing to lay down their lives for the country we loved and on a spring day in 1864 private william krisman of pennsylvania was the first american to find eternal rest on these ground. over that century 1/2 in times

of war, in times of peace, americans have come here to pay tribute not only to the loved ones who meant the world to them but to all our heroes, known and unknown. here, in perfect military order, are the patriots who won our freedom and saved the union. here, side by side, lie the privates and the generals who defeated fascism and laid the foundation for an american century. here lie the american who is fought through vietnam, and those who won a long twilight struggle against communism, and here in section 60, lie men and women who gave their lives to keep our homeland safe over more than a decade of war, in iraq

and afghanistan. earlier this morning i returned from afghanistan. yesterday i visited with some of our men and women serving there, 7,000 miles from home. for more than 12 years men and women like those i met with have borne the burden of our nation's security. now, because of their profound sacrifice, because of the progress that they have made, we're in a pivotal moment. our troops are coming home. by the end of this year our war in afghanistan will finally come to an end. [applause] and yesterday at bagram and today here at arlington we pay

tribute to the nearly 2200 american patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice in afghanistan. we will honor them always. today in small towns across america, in cemeteries throughout our country and around the world, and here on these solemn hillsides, the families of our fallen share stories of the lives they led. our hearts ache in their absence. but our hearts are also full. full in knowing that their legacy shines bright in the people that they loved the most. through almost unimaginable loss these families of the fallen have tap ad courage and resolve that many of us will never know

and we draw comfort and strength from their examples. we draw strength from the promise of their children. today michelle and jill are with 200 brave boys and girls whose parents gave everything they had in service of their country. they are mothers and fathers like staff sergeant michael cadenas, who gave his life in afghanistan four years ago. the years since have been hard for michael's family, yet with the love of their mother macare in a, his three youngest daughters have displayed a strength beyond their years. mariella, the oldest of the three has become a mentor to other children that have lost their parents. the middle girl was used to her dad carrying her everywhere when she was little. now seven, she shepherds her

little sister. and marianna who was just a baby when her dad was deployed is t means that her daddy served his country. mariell a, marry lease and marianna are here today. we saw to you and all these courageous children, your parents bravery lives on in you. you will never walk alone. your country will be there to help you grow up into the young men and women your parents always knew you would be. and that is our pledge to you. [applause] we draw strength as well from the love of the spouses of the fallen. sergeant first class joseph gant was a young man but already a veteran of world war ii when he

met clara edwards on a train headed to california. he spent two years courting clara before she finally agreed to marry him. then when joseph deployed to korea, he told his young wife to remarry if he didn't come back. she told him no. he had a hard enough time getting her to say yes in the first place she said. he had waited two years for her. she would wait as long as it took for him to come home. when joseph went missing in action, clara waited. she waited 63 years. meanwhile our country continued to work to bring home the missing from all our wars. then last december, last december, his remains finally identified, joseph returned home

to be laid to rest. clara never remarried during those 63 years. and now 96 years old, she was there to welcome him home. we are honored to have clara gant with us here today. clara? [applause] [cheers and applause]

>> we also draw strength from the parents who have given their sons and daughters to america. earlier this year in my state of the union address i spoke of the remarkable story and grueling recovery of sergeant first class cory remsburg, who was severely injured by a massive roadside bomb in afghanistan. when he stood there in the balcony, it reminded our entire nation that we are blessed to be protected by patriots like him. that was only part of the story. today i want to close with a story of cory's brother in arms, sergeant roberto sanchez, who was killed by that same explosion. rob was not a big guy but his mother wendy says he was larger than life. always surrounded by friends and melting hearts with a devastating smile. rob admired the army from a

young age, dressed up as a soldier the first time he went out for halloween, and for many halloweens after that. he meticulously arranged and rearranged "g.i. joes" on his bedroom floor. when he watched the twin towers fall that awful september day, rob found his calling to serve his country. a proud army ranger, who took care of his fellow soldiers just as he did his own family. he would tell wendy, mom, i'm your superman. and in october, 2009, rob was on his fifth deployment and rob and cory were finishing a mission with their fellow rangers in kandahar. and that's when the bomb went off and that's when this american family made a sacrifice the depths of which few of us will ever truly comprehend. and in the years since when he

has dug deep to find the strength to live without rob, she keeps in touch with cory, who she finally had a chance to meet and spend some time with this week and sharing memories of rob. she runs half marathons. she and her husband pour pour hearts raising logan who wants to be just like rob which means she will probably send another son into military service. today wendy is watching this service from home in indianapolis on a memorial day in america made safe by our son's sacrifice. every day with when she looks at old photo of her and rob that sits on the dresser, she is reminded although she he gone, he will always inspire her and always be her superman. for the parents who have lost a child, for the husbands and wife

who have lost a partner, for the children who have lost a parent, this day and this place are solemn reminders of the extraordinary sacrifice they have made in our name. but today reminds us as well for these family and for their comrades in arms, their service to our nation endures. there are few who truly understand what it means to send a child into war, or to watch a battle buddy give his life to save others. on this memorial day and every day, these are the families and veterans who we're sworn to look after. and so here on these hallowed ground, we rededicate ourselves to our sacred obligations to all who wear america's uniform into the families who stand by them always. that our troops will have the resources they need to do their job. that our nation will never stop

searching for those who have gone missing. , who are held as prisoners of war. that as we've been reminded in recent days we must do more to keep faith with our veterans and families and insure they get the care an benefits and opportunities they have earned and they deserve. these americans have done their duty. they ask nothing more than our country does ours now and for decade to come. [applause] the fallen patriots we memorialize today gave their last full measure of devotion, not so we might mourn them though we do, not so that our nation might honor their sacrifice although it does. they gave their lives so that we might live ours so that a

daughter might grow up to pursue her dreams, so that a wife might be able to live a long life free and secure, so that a mother might raise her family in the land of peace and freedom. everything that we hold precious in this country was made possible by americans who gave their all and because of them our nation is stronger, safer, and will always remain a shining beacon of freedom for the rest of the world. may god bless the fallen and all those who serve. may god watch over their families, and may god continue to bless the united states of america. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the playing of "taps" and the benediction. [playing of "taps"] ♪. ♪

>> present arms. >> chaplain brainard will now give the benediction. >> one last time in prayer, in this sacred place for our fallen loved ones, let us pray. lord, continue to strengthen our president and all of our leaders with energy and wisdom and send us on our way with strength for the journey that lay ahead. lord, bless our families and our comrades and help us to be ever mindful of the principles of freedom, justice and equality which have been long been our nation's heritage, given to us by our fallen comrades, our fallen heroes.

finally, lord, we would be remiss if we did not pray for the safety of all of our brothers and sisters who serve our nation this day. teach us at all times to pray for their safe return with knowledge of a just --

>> this is "outnumbered." here on this memorial day along with me is sandra, katie, jedidayah and a veteran himself, pete. he's outnumbered. >> welcome back. >> i'm excited to be here. memorial day means a lot to all of us, but those serving and those who lost someone, incredible day. >> and thank you for your service. >> we begin in california. a college community is in mourning following a stabbing an